America First, Last and Always!

At some 81 minutes, the 2018 State of the Union address by President Donald Trump was the third longest SOTU speech in history. Part of the reason was that he was interrupted by applause some 111 times. About 70 of those were standing ovations! The theme last night was that America is strong, proud and safe again. He began by praising heroes, something he did throughout the evening. First was a woman from the Coast Guard who rescued some 40 people in Texas during the first 18 hours of Hurricane Harvey. President Trump praised many heroes who endured disasters, demonstrating strength, unity and assisting their fellow citizens. The theme apparently worked as a CBS-YouGo poll showed 75% liking the speech and 81% feeling optimistic and unified.

The President then listed the strength of the economic recovery during his first year in office. 2.4 million new jobs, over 200,000 of those being in manufacturing. Wages are up and unemployment down. Especially for African-American and Hispanics, which are both at all-time record lows. Small businesses are booming as are the stock markets with some $8 Trillion dollars of fresh wealth. He proclaimed the bounce from the new tax cuts and reforms, along with slashing federal regulations and eliminating the Obamacare individual mandate. He also praised Apple and Exxon for their recent announcements to reinvest some $400 Billion in the American economy.

President Trump touched on other accomplishments, like reforms with the VA and filling vacancies in federal courts. He called for a $1.5 Trillion dollar infrastructure program to improve roads, bridges and waterways. On trade, President Trump declared that the ″era of economic surrender is totally over!″ He wants fair and reciprocal trade deals. More job training is needed, including vocational schools and a program for helping convicts to become productive citizens. Permit times are to be slashed to 1 or 2 years instead of 10 years or more to rebuild America.

The President then laid out his vision for immigration reform with his ′4 Pillars′. A pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, securing our borders with more guards and ′The Wall′, and ending chain migration and the visa lottery program. He wants to redirect immigration to be merit-based in the future and take a harder line on expelling criminals, especially drug gangs like MS-13. President Trump honored those of the DHS and ICE who are fighting this battle, including one agent in the gallery who has arrested some 400 criminal illegal immigrants. The President also offered praise and comfort to the parents of two teenage girls murdered by MS-13 in Long Island and to a police officer and his wife for adopting the infant of a drug addict.

On foreign policy, the President warned of the rogue nations still causing trouble. He declared that ISIS has all but been wiped out with nearly all of their occupied territory liberated. President Trump praised one Army sergeant for saving the life of a comrade as they cleared boobytraps from a hospital in Raqqa, Syria. He urged Congress to pass the budget bill to fully fund our military and end the sequester. Our nuclear arsenal must be modernized and rebuilt to keep Russia, China, Iran and North Korea at bay. GITMO must remain open and more sanctions on upstarts like Cuba and Venezuela.

Naturally, Democrats were stoic and sour-faced during the address. They mostly sat on their hands and glared. On social media, the reaction was huge as this SOTU speech set a new record in responses. The most was when President Trump said we needed to stand for the national anthem. One more guest in the gallery drew a huge reaction was Ji Seong Ho, a North Korean defector who fled after harsh treatment, escaping on crutches and walking thousands of miles on one leg to seek freedom and God. Those in the Capitol Building gave long applause as Seong Ho stood up and raised his crutches, no longer needing them thanks to an artificial leg.

All in all, the State of the Union address for 2018, the first by President Donald Trump, was very good and well received. The Democratic Party, still in disarray after the failure of the ′Schumer Shutdown′, offered multiple responses. Joe Kennedy III gave a short speech in Massachusetts to a small crowd. About the only thing people may recall of it was his glossy lips. Bernie Sanders also gave a response which had technical difficulties, cutting out in the middle of it. But, in the wake of President Trump, the Democrats came across as sore losers whom fail to appreciate America becoming great again.

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American unity and prosperity is not acceptable to the Democrats. Trump is a threat and the Democrats know most Americans agree with his policies. Democrats are afraid of loosing their power, that is why they were so sour at the state of the union speech.